Car-coupling.



C.. A. DUNN.,

OAR OOUPLING. APPLICATION Hmm JUNE s. 19o?.

908,762, f PanaJan. 5, 15909.

H 24cm Vg Ba v 3 e4 24 WITNESSES.- '24C INVENTOR. f WWW/0 A C .A c/nr) Wwf-'WWW l ATTORNEY.

C. A. DUNN.

GAR GOUPLING.

LPPLI'oATIoN FILED JUNE a. 19o?.

908,762. A Patented Jan.5,19o9.

l z SHEETS-SHEET z. n 'i WITNESSES: v. l C A VVENTOR. 6.12./ un

- www. W7@ "d M A TTOR NE Y.

UNITED 'sTATEs` PATENT oEEIcE.'

CLAUDIUS A. DUNN, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-FIFTHS TO ROBERT DUNN, OF SAN FRAN CISCO, CALIFORNIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led. June 8, 1907.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

Serial No. 378,010.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLAUDTUS A. DUNN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in car couplings of the swinging hook or knuckle type and its objects are to provide a coupler which being automatic in action, shall at all times be in a condition of readiness to connect with other couplers of the same type by impingent engagement therewith, which shall securely connect with an opposed coupler without the aid of pins or other agents commonly used to lock the knuckles upon the head on which they are mounted, which may be uncoupled by a simple manipulation, which, by resilient connection of its knuckle, will permit the cars to which it is applied to round curves without straining or uncoupling the interlocked L' parts and which, being of simple and economical construction combines durability with efficiency in operation and practicability in use. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings in the various views of which like parts are similarly designated and in which- Figure 1 represents a partially sectional plan view of two interlocked couplers, Fig. 2- a vertical section taken along a line 2-2, Fig. 1, Fig. 3- a detail view of the resilient member employed in my construction, Fig. 4 a horizontal section taken through a coupler with its knuckle in the open position, Fig. 5 an elevation of the knuckle looking in the direction of the arrow a, Fig. 1, Fig. 6, an elevation of the knuckle looking in the direction of the arrow c, Fig. 1, and Fig. 7- a front view of the head without the knuckle. v

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 2 designates a draw bar provided at its outer extremity with the coupling head 3, upon which the jaw or knuckle 4 is pivotally mounted by means of a pin 5 which is disposed in registering, vertical bores 6 and 7 respectively in lugs 8 at the upper and lower ends of the drawhead, and in a tongue 9 on the knuckle formed to fit between the said lugs.

The lugs 8 which are arranged in central relation to the drawhead, form the upper and lower walls of a recess l0 in the head and project laterally from the integral guard or buffer 11 which flares outwardly from the side of the head.

The outer edges of the lugs 8 are curved concentrically with the pin apertures 7, whose centers are located substantially in a I vertical plane with the longitudinal axis of the drawbar and the said curved edges terminate at the front of the head in vertically alined shoulders 12 and at the rearmost part of the head in a vertically extending abutment 13, the surfaces of which extend in planes radial to the pivotal axis of the knuckle.

The knuckle 4 consists of a body portion 14 which terminates in the jaw or hook 15 by means of which the connection between two similar couplers is established and is formed at its opposite extremity with two vertical shoulders 16-and 17 intermediate of which the above named tongue 9 projects.

The surfaces of the shoulders extend in planes radial to the center of the bore 7 in the tongue and are adapted to respectively engage the shoulders 12 and 13 on the head.

The tongue 9, being centrally disposed between the upper and lower surfaces of the main body of the knuckle, forms two opposite, vertically alined surfaces 18 which, extending between the shoulders 12 and 13, are curved in conformity with the peripheral edges of the lugs 8 on the head which are in constant engagement therewith.

A lug 19 projecting outwardly from the body 14 intermediate its extremities, affords means for the application of a chain or rod by which the knuckle may be unlocked and which for obvious reasons, has been omitted from the drawings.

The tongue 9 of the knuckle is provided upon its peripheral surface with a vertically extending ridge 20 adapted to engage a correspondingly formed stop 21 which projects vertically from the wall of the head into the recess 10 and whose function is to limit the inward movement of the knuckle.

The tongue 9 is furthermore provided with a slot 22, which being cut into its wall intermediate its extremities, connects with an annular recess 23 which opens into the bore 7.

A spring 24, shown in detail in Fig. 3, of

ICO

the drawings, comprises an coil 24a whiclnil latter .whilethe cars to vwhich are atwhen the parts are assembled, is disposed within the recess 23 and surrounds thel pin 5, and two diverging, arms 24.C which, projecting through the slot 20, respectively en, gage the oppositely arranged shoulders 17 and 13 01.1 the Stationary head 2 and the. movable knuckle 4.

To prevent displacement of the arms 24c during the operation of the device, they are preferably seated within correspondingly :formed grooves 17a and 13a in the respective abutting shoulders.

I/Vhen the knuckle 4 is in the locked position as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the shoulder 16 is in engagement with the shoulders 12 on the head and the ridge 20 on the tongue abuts the stop 21, while the radial shoulders 13 and 17 are spaced from each other. The parts are resiliently maintained in this position by the action of the spring Y24 until by impingent contact of the jaw 15 of the knuckle with that of an oppo- 4site coupler of the same type, it is temporarily forced out and rearwardly allowing the impinging jaw to enter the space between the face of the head and the hook 15, which subsequently returns to its original position through instrumentality of the re silient member 24.

The two couplers being thus interlocked, as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, will remain in their relative position until by manipulation of the connection applied to the lug 19, one of the knuckles is withdrawn from contact with the other.

The engagement of the shoulders 12 and 16 and of the ridge 20 with the stop 21 determines the locking position of the knuckles while the abutment 13 limits its rearward movement by engagement with the `,corresponding shoulder 17.

The resilient connection of the knuckles with the stationary heads affords compensation for the dilference in direction of the ytaehed round curves andthus not only prevents acci-dental unlocking of the two jaws but by relieving all stress on the contacting parts, reduces wear and breakage to a minimum.

Under certain circumstances as, for instance, when cars are used on straight tracks, the springs 24 may be omitted as the location of the pivot points of the knuckles in the center of the heads and in alinement with each other in conjunction with the abutting shoulders on the stationary and movable members, tend to maintain the jaws in the locked position, while the cars to which the drawbars are applied, are in motion.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is In a car coupler, a drawbar having a recessed vhead including a curve-faced buffer, lugs extending therefrom` in substantially central relation to the bar and forming the upper and lower wall of the recess and a stop projecting into the latter an abutment projecting radially from the said lugs, and a knuckle having a tongue pivotally secured between the said lugs, a shoulder adapted -to engage the abutment when the knuckle is in its rearmost position and a projection upon the tongue Yarranged to engage the said stop when the knuckle is in its normal or closed position and a spring coiled around the pivot of the tongue and having one end bearing against the abutment and its other end bearing against the shoulder of the knuckle.

In testimony whereot1 I have allixed lmy j signature in presence of two witnesses.

CLAUDIUS A. DUNN. Witnesses: f

G. J. RoLLANDEn Y IQBURRoWs. 

